Parable Of The Shrewd Manager
Every season, the National Hockey League hands out awards to the most outstanding players and management. Despite trouble within the hockey writers association, the voting will go forward. In the first part of a six-part series, here is a look at the most deserving candidates for the Jack Adams award, given to the best coach in the league.
Alain Vigneault- Vancouver Canucks
For the first time in franchise history, the Vancouver Canucks are the NHL's best team. They have already locked up the President's trophy, with the next best team currently sitting 10 points behind them in the standings. Despite numerous injuries to key players throughout the year, Vancouver has remained a well-oiled machine, thanks to the talent on the roster and the shrewd coaching of Alain Vigneault. He has managed to keep starting goaltender Roberto Luongo fresh by giving more starts to rookie Cory Schneider, giving the Canucks one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. Vancouver leads the NHL in powerplay percentage and is ranked second on the penalty kill. It's hard not to give Vingeault consideration for coach of the year with the stellar play of his team.
Dan Bylsma- Pittsburgh Penguins
After a shaky start to the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins posted a 12-game winning streak in November-December, amidst a staggering 25-game point streak by their captain Sidney Crosby. They were positioned near the top of the NHL standings and seemed to be a prime candidate to win the Eastern Conference. But, on July 1st, things for the Penguins took a decidedly different turn. Crosby was hit hard by Washington's David Steckel, and despite finishing the game and playing the next contest against Tampa Bay, Crosby was concussed, and hasn't played in a game since January 5th. Not long after that, former Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin went down with a knee injury and was proclaimed out for the season. Missing their two best players, many pundits wrote off the Penguins, suggesting they would struggle to even make the playoffs. But a few months later, the Penguins have 100 points, good for 6th best record in the NHL. They boast the league's best penalty kill, and have stayed strong despite missing numerous key players to injury. Bylsma's calm and cool demeanor has kept this team on track, making him a prime candidate for coach of the year.
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